White Pass Snow-Train Adventure
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PANORAMA GOLDEN PASS EXPRESS PASS GOLDEN ® EXPRESSENGELBERG GLACIER EXPRESS “WHITE PASS” SNOW-TRAIN ADVENTURE HOLIDAY ROUTE OF Board these five express railways for an Alpine adventure that will take you right across snowy Central Switzerland. Seestrasse 34 Past lakes and waterfalls, through steep valleys carved against magnificent CH-6052 Hergiswil scenery, these railways will carry you through wintery Alpine passes to Phone +41 41 632 30 30 world-famous tourist destinations such as Interlaken-Grindelwald, Engelberg, www.pilatushotel.ch EXPRESSRIGI Andermatt and Einsiedeln. The highest point on the tour is reached on the Oberalp Pass at 2033 m. Presented by the 4-star ****Seehotel Pilatus, your comfortable base for this adventure holiday. Engelberg Express. Route of Glacier Express “WHITE PASS” – THE SPECTACULAR SWISS ALPINE SNOW-TRAIN ADVENTURE! VORALPEN EXPRESS PANORAMA Hergiswil – Interlaken – 1 GRINDELWALD EXPRESS PASS GOLDEN 3 1 EXPRESSENGELBERG 2 2 Hergiswil – Engelberg – TITLIS 5 GLACIER EXPRESS Hergiswil – Göschenen – 3 Andermatt – OBERALPPASS ROUTE OF 4 RIGI EXPRESSRIGI 4 Hergiswil – Vitznau – RIGI Your SNOW-TRAIN adventure base. VORALPEN EXPRESS 5 Hergiswil – Luzern – EINSIEDELN Golden Pass Express GOLDEN PASS EXPRESS PASS GOLDEN History of the railway At the destination The first steam railway pounded its way from Brienz to Alpnachstad on 14 June 1889. – shopping in Interlaken Steamboats took passengers from Brienz to Interlaken and from Alpnachstad to – sightseeing in Grindelwald Railway type Narrow gauge railway Lucerne. There was no direct rail link between Interlaken and Lucerne until 1916. Train to Interlaken–Grindelwald with cogwheel drive Enjoy this superb trip between the tourist highlights of Lucerne, Built 1888 Interlaken and Grindelwald, the early days of tourism Interlaken and Grindelwald. The Lucerne-Interlaken Express is Base 434 m The first tourists to discover the magical mountain world of Interlaken did so around perhaps the most stunning section of the famous Golden Pass line Top 1000 m 1800. They included Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Lord Byron and Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy. Interlaken became a fashionable resort in the second half of the 19th between Lucerne and Montreux. This beautiful route wends its Difference in altitude 566 m century and tourism was given a fresh lease of life with the construction of the Bernese Travel time approx. 2.5 hours way between countless lakes, over the Brünig Pass, past spectacu- Oberland Railway to Lauterbrunnen and Grindelwald in 1890 and the Jungfrau Railway Open all year round View of the Eiger North Face from lar waterfalls, pretty villages and world-famous tourist sites. in 1912. Grindelwald Engelberg Express ENGELBERG EXPRESSENGELBERG History of the railway At the destination The route between Stansstad and Engelberg opened on 5 October 1898. It was – Engelberg Abbey electrified from the outset, making it Switzerland’s longest electrically driven cog- – Show cheese factory at the abbey Train to Engelberg and cable car to the Titlis glacier at 3020 m wheel railway. The Stansstad-Engelberg railway put the electric tram between – Titlis cable car Another trip by rail through majestic mountain scenery. Your Stansstad and Stans out of business – the tram used to meet passengers arriving – Titlis Ice Flyer and Sky Walk Railway type Narrow gauge Picture: Engelberg-Titlis from Lucerne by boat and transfer them to the Stanserhorn railway. In the early train will cross Lake Lucerne at the Acheregg, the narrowest point railway with days, the Nidwalden valley was only accessible by boat. There was no direct rail of the lake, before entering the wide rural valley of Nidwalden, cogwheel drive link between Lucerne and Engelberg until the Lopper railway tunnel and Acheregg the cradle of the original Switzerland. Following the Engelbergeraa Built 1898 bridge opened in 1964. river, the mountain slopes draw closer and closer as the Engelberg Base 434 m Engelberg Express plunges into the 4 km long climbing tunnel which opens Top 1000 m The name “Engelberg” harks back to a legend which recounts how angels’ voices in a burst of light onto breathtaking vistas of snowy mountains. Difference in altitude 566 m were heard proclaiming the founding of the abbey in 1120 from the top of Mount Travel time 45 minutes Engelberg, home to a famous abbey, is your starting point for an Hahnen. Tourism first took off in the mid-19th century with the construction of hotels Titlis Rotair – the cable car rotates a full Open all year round excursion to the Titlis glacier. and casino. The Alpine Ski World Cup was held in Engelberg in 1938. 360° as it climbs. Wilhelm Tell Express and Glacier Express On track of Wilhelm Tell and Glacier Express Train to Andermatt and Oberalp Pass at 2033 m Railway type Standard gauge railway and Lakes and mountains are the hallmarks of this fabulous rail adven- narrow gauge with ture in the heart of Switzerland. The route leads to the Gotthard cogwheel drive Massif, source and watershed of the Rhine, Rhone and Po, three Built 1913 major European rivers. Past the fjords of Lake Urnersee, through Base 434 m legendary gorges such as the famous Schöllenen Gorge and Top 2033 m Devil’s Bridge, the train finally pulls into Andermatt, another tourist Difference in altitude 1599 m highlight and hub of the Gotthard, Furka and Oberalp alpine passes Travel time approx. 3.5 hours which link the Engadine, Valais and Ticino regions. Open all year round GLACIER EXPRESS History of the railway At the destination The Wilhelm Tell Express links Lucerne with Lugano. It follows a path to the Schöllenen – Gemsstock cable car 2961 m railway which opened in 1917 to connect Göschenen (to the north of the Gotthard – Dieni-Milez: chairlift 1800 m Tunnel that opened in 1882) with Andermatt and the Furka-Oberalp railway. The famous Glacier Express has been in operation since 1930, in partnership with the Rhaetian Railway, ferrying passengers from Zermatt to St. Moritz via Andermatt and the Oberalp Pass (2033 m) even in winter. Surrounded by deep snow and stunning Alpine vistas, it’s easy for passengers to imagine themselves aboard the famous Orient Express! Andermatt Andermatt flourished as a centre of trade and tourism when the first road over the Gotthard Pass opened in 1830, followed shortly after by the Oberalp and Furka Passes. The Veltliner Tour, the ski region between Andermatt and Sedrun, is very popular with winter sports enthusiasts and the Furka-Oberalp railways provides access to most of this region. Andermatt village Rigi Express Voralpen Express 1 Steam train only per month, extra charge + reservation Cruise wintery Lake Lucerne then up the Rigi aboard Europe’s first Train across the upland moor of Rothenthurm to Einsiedeln, Railway type Narrow gauge Railway type Standard gauge cogwheel railway cogwheel railway a place of pilgrimage railway Europe’s very first mountain railway has been taking tourists from Built 1871 Your trip aboard the Voralpen Express starts with magnificent Built 1940 all over the world to the top of the “Queen of the Mountains” since Base 434 m views across Lake Lucerne to the mighty pre-Alpine peaks. Base 434 m 1871. Between 1884 and 1914, the Rigi attracted heads of state Top 1752 m Passing Lake Zug, the train begins a steep climb with views Top 923 m and poets of the “Belle Epoque”. Today, the stunning views across Difference in altitude 1313 m of Lake Lauerz and the two imposing Mythen summits. Difference in altitude 489 m Lake Lucerne, ringed by the Alps on all sides, have lost none of Travel time 45 minutes The adventure continues as you cross the snowy upland moor Travel time approx. 90 minutes their grandiose charm. Open all year round of Rothenthurm to arrive at Einsiedeln, a popular pilgrimage site. Open all year round History of the railway At the destination History of the railway At the destination RIGI EXPRESSRIGI Some 1000 pack horses and porters suddenly found themselves out of work when – winter hikes The Voralpen Express is the name of a long-distance train that has linked the city – monastery and cathedral the Vitznau-Rigi railway opened on 21 May 1871. By 1873 Europe’s very first mountain – snowshoe trails of Lucerne with the eastern city of St. Gallen since 1992. – shopping railway extended all the way to the summit: the 7 km route took about an hour to complete. Einsiedeln Arriving at the top of the Rigi on his first trip to Switzerland in 1775, Johann Wolfgang Einsiedeln is perhaps best known for its impressive baroque monastery and cathedral von Goethe noted in his diary “The glory of the world all around!” where one can admire the largest ceiling frescos in Switzerland and the Chapel of Grace with its Black Madonna. Founded in 934, Einsiedeln is Switzerland’s most Rigi Kaltbad visited pilgrimage site. Located on the Jakobsweg (path of St. James), it is a major The easy walk from Rigi Kaltbad to Rigi Chänzeli takes you past the Kaltbad mineral rallying point for pilgrims on their way to Santiago de Compostela. Einsiedeln also springs which pour out of a cleft in the rocks. These cold springs attracted tourists to enjoys an excellent reputation as a winter sports resort: ski lifts, cross-country ski The square in front of the monastery, the Rigi as long ago as the 16th century – an early, spartanic form of wellness! Easy walk to the Chänzeli trails and ski-jumping attract tourists to this wonderful winter landscape. Einsiedeln VORALPEN EXPRESS Seestrasse 34 · CH-6052 Hergiswil Phone +41 41 632 30 30 · [email protected] · www.pilatushotel.ch 4-star **** SEEHOTEL PILATUS, a jewel directly at the lakeshore of Lake Lucerne, surrounded by majestic mountainside, garantees for recreative vacations AQVA ROMANA WELLNESS RESORT with large indoor pool, Jacuzzi, massage bath, finnish sauna, bio sauna, Kneipp water-treading basins, lakeside resort, park, sun deck and fitness center THE HEART OF SWITZERLAND, a region known for its matchless winter sports, excursions and scenery.